


Freudian slip

by yogini



Series: Christmas fluff Camelot style [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Accidents, Boys Kissing, Christmas Fluff, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Implied Sexual Content, Injury, M/M, Midwinter, Mutual Pining, Pining, Short & Sweet, Snow and Ice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 23:31:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2751251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yogini/pseuds/yogini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A blonde knight walks on thin ice and what seems to be disaster at first actually turns into something really good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freudian slip

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.

They’d been out on patrol for over a fortnight and while he’d never confess it, Leon was desperate to get back to Camelot. It was a harsh winter, with short days deprived of sun and long dark nights, and twice they’d been forced to stop and take cover to wait for a vicious snow storm to pass. But as nice as it would be to actually be to sleep in warm bed, wear dry clothes and not constantly have to remove ice from his beard that wasn’t the main reason he longed to get back to the castle. The real reason for that was Gwaine.

 

It had been all right as long as they travelled in a large group of men but a couple of days ago they had split up in pairs, both to be able to travel quicker and to attract less attention, and Leon had found himself paired with Gwaine. From then on the normally unpleasant winter patrol had turned into Leon’s personal version of hell.

 

Because Gwaine was a perpetual flirt and Leon had to quietly watch as he tried to charm anything and anyone they met, leaving Leon by himself.

Because the cold nights forced them to share a bedroll so that none of them would freeze to death during the night, and Leon almost died of shame when he noticed just how much the other knight’s closeness affected certain parts of his anatomy.

Because he had to watch Gwaine drink his part of the soup first and couldn’t stop noticing how inviting his lips looked.

Because Gwaine’s fingers would brush against his when he passed the cup over so that Leon could have the rest.

Because Gwaine’s long hair tickled him as he bent down to whisper something.

Because Gwaine made him nervous and made everything he said come out stilted and sound overly formal.

Because Gwaine was lovely and could have anyone and would never ever choose Leon.

 

Because of that, and many other reasons that Leon kept repeating over and over in his head, he couldn’t wait to get back, and if anyone asked he could always say that he wanted to get home in time for the Midwinter celebrations. Nobody would question that, and so Leon pressed on, forcing Gwaine to pick up the pace. They didn’t stop to eat as it was getting darker and darker and none of them wanted to spend another night out in the cold and that’s when it happened.

 

In the rapidly fading light Leon, cold, tired and hungry, missed the spot of ice in front of him, his foot slipped and he fell. Hard. He didn’t have time to try to break his fall and landed heavily on his side and rolled down a small slope before he crashed into a small stream and the world finally stopped spinning.

 

“Leon?” he heard Gwaine call out anxiously. “You all right there?”

“No” Leon groaned when he felt pain stab like knives through his knee when he tried to move it. “My knee…” he winced and tried to sit up, only to realize that he was soaked to the skin. The ice on the small stream had broken when he landed on it and he hurried to drag himself out of the cold water as Gwaine reached him.

“Can you walk?” Gwaine asked, helping the blonde knight to his feet and Leon took a tentative step before he almost crashed back to the ground, had it not been for Gwaine’s support.

“Maybe if we could wrap the knee? Leon suggested. “I think it will work if I don’t bend it too much.” Gwaine nodded and raffled through his pack until he came up with a spare tunic that he tore into strips and proceeded to bind Leon’s knee tightly.

“We have to keep moving” he said, standing up. “You’ll freeze to death otherwise.” He undid his cloak and placed it around the other man’s shoulders. Leon tried to protest but Gwaine would have none of it.

“I’ll keep warm hauling your clumsy ass back to Camelot” he said, almost back his usual cheeky self now that Leon wasn’t in any immediate danger.

 

Slowly the couple started walking; Leon’s arm slung over Gwaine’s shoulder and Gwaine’s arm firmly around Leon’s waist. The bandages helped some but it still pained him to walk and soon all Leon could do was to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Both of them were now shivering and never had the lights of the castle been a more welcome sight. Leon stumbled for what felt like the millionth time that day and this time he didn’t have the strength to right himself. Pain shot through him as he landed on his bad knee and everything went black.  

 

“Leon?” Someone poked his shoulder and Leon wasn’t about to answer. “Leon?” Why couldn’t they just go away, he was tired and wanted to sleep. “Wake up!” The poking had turned into sharp jabs and he grunted and reluctantly opened his eyes.

“You’re awake!” Merlin’s voice was filled with relief.

“My knee? the knight asked, realizing that he was shivering.

“It will heal” Merlin assured him. “Gwaine did a really good job of bandaging it and if you just stay off it for a while and let it rest it’ll be fine.”

“Gwaine all right?” Leon asked, nearly biting his tongue because of the shivering and Merlin nodded.

“A bit cold but he’ll be fine soon. Probably having mulled wine and warm cider right now, for medical purposes of course” Merlin smiled and Leon smiled back, despite the pain and the fact that he still felt like his body was made of ice.

“It’s a good sign that you’re shivering. That means you’re warming up.” Merlin said, piling an extra blanket on top of the mountain that already covered Leon. “I’ll come back later and have a look at you” he said, looking apologetically at the knight, “but I must be off now, Gaius needs help with a woman with a difficult labour.”

“Of course” Leon waved him away. “I’m fine.”

 

The fire in his room was roaring and he was all but buried under furs and blankets and still he was shivering like he’d never before. He tried to find a more comfortable position but ended up moving his knee and the pain flared up again, despite whatever foul, pain relieving concoction that Merlin no doubt had given him. When someone knocked on the door he snapped out a none too welcoming “enter!” and the door opened to reveal Gwaine.

 

“Sounds like someone needs a little cheering up” he said smirking as he went into the room and placed a covered plate on the table and two cups near the fire.

“How are you?” he asked, taking in Leon’s shivering form.

“Cold” Leon said curtly before he started coughing violently and before he’d recovered enough to notice what was going on Gwaine had undressed and slipped under the covers to lie beside him.

“What…?” he said confusedly before the other knight all but draped himself over Leon.

“You’re cold” Gwaine said, eyes sparkling the way that they did when he flirted with someone. “I’m helping you getting warm again. Easiest way is with body heat.”

 

And Leon was getting very warm, very fast. Gwaine’s skin radiated heat and he was everywhere, having somehow wriggled his way into Leon’s arms and resting his head on Leon’s chest.

“I, uh…” Leon felt the ability to form coherent sentences slip from him as his blood disappeared from his head and made its way down through his body. Fiercely blushing he realized that he was getting hard again and tried to disentangle himself from Gwaine before the other knight noticed it.

“Don’t worry” Gwaine murmured. “Nothing I haven’t experienced before.” He canted his hip slightly forward to press against Leon’s groin to indicate just what he meant and Leon moaned softly before he managed to come to his senses. He made a second attempt to move away, cheeks afire by now, but Gwaine only held on tighter.

“No, don’t be like that” he scolded playfully. “Not when I finally have you where I want you.”

“But I have… I didn’t think… What?”

“Why did you think I asked to get paired with you? Gwaine asked, partly exasperated, partly fondly.

“To annoy me?” Leon answered, only to receive a light punch to the shoulder.

“No, you idiot” Gwaine sighed and shifted slightly so that Leon could feel that the other knight was as hard as he was himself.

“Oh.” Realization hit him then and there were so many questions that he needed to ask but that could wait because right know Gwaine kissed him and his lips were really as soft as Leon had imagined and his hair tickled the base of Leon’s throat.

“Yes, oh indeed” Gwaine said, resting his hand on Leon’s hip before slowly sliding downwards towards his erection. “Want me to give you a hand with that?” he asked huskily and Leon thought that maybe slipping wasn’t really that bad after all.


End file.
